Other transactions for prototypes as used in the commercial operations and support savings initiative 1997
Subtitle: a contractors' perspective
By:  William Collier Slade
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 121
Description: The Commercial Operations and Support Savings Initiative (COSSI) is a Government effort to reduce   Operations and Support (O&S) costs by inserting commercial products and processes into fielded military systems. This initiative utilizes Other Transactions for Prototypes, also known as Section 845 Agreements, to attract non-traditional Government  contractors and to speed the  development of prototype kits for insertion.  This thesis examines the benefits and limitations, from the contractors' perspective, of using Section 845 Agreements, as applied in COSSI 97. The Researcher concludes that the participants found the Agreements to be effective tools that fostered improved relations with the Government. The Agreement also resulted in an expanded vendor base; six of the 30 participants are non-traditional contractors and would not have participated, had an Agreement not been used. The Researcher concludes that the participants identified the  Government's inexperience with the Agreement as a major limitation. The research also shows that the full potential of the Authority can only be achieved by innovative, trained Agreements Officers who are knowledgeable of the program's objectives. The Researcher makes several  recommendations for an agency      using or preparing to use the  Authority; one of which is to  provide follow-on training for  non-traditional contractors.
Notes: "June 1998."

Thesis advisor(s): Mark W. Stone, David A. Smith.

Thesis (M.S. in Management) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-120).

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat reader.

US Army (USA) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 09/24/98.